All posts by Observer Staff

Lawrence, News

Keeping creative with Professor Victor

and  

Marquis Victor is a new professor at Northern Essex Community College who teaches Intro to Film Studies and Communication through Film. He started teaching spring 2020, not only as a way to scratch that teaching itch he’s had, but also to contribute to the college’s education offering in the city. He wants to “expose Lawrence youth to the structure, ideas and forms of film and why it is such a powerful art medium,” Victor says.

Although Victor is just getting started with teaching, he’s been a leader for some time now. He earned his Master of Arts from Lesley University in Education and he is currently getting a doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership at Northeastern University. On top of getting his master’s and starting to teach, and continuing his education, he is also the Founding Executive Director of Elevated Thought. Elevated Thought is a social justice based curriculum that serves as the foundation for the creative youth development curriculum, based in Lawrence. Victor leads ET’s mission: to develop various arts.

Art is important, and staying as creative as possible is important to open your mind, especially during times like these. Though art may not be quite for everyone, both art and film play a huge role in Victor’s family. “I create every day with my 3 year old daughter (a lot of painting) and I make sure to write poetry everyday. Me and my wife watch a couple films a week,” he says.

Home Page Featured News

SGA launches virtual campaign and voting

and  

In light of coronavirus-caused social distancing guidelines, the Northern Essex Community College Student Government Association’s Elections Committee is moving forward with conducting solely virtual election campaigning, via social media, and voting, through the NECC Blackboard page; voting is planned to be open from May 4 to 11.

The SGA serves as the liaison between student voices and the NECC administration and traditionally conducts voting on Blackboard.

The Elections Committee was formed prior to NECC’s March 12 campus closure and is chaired by the student government’s Acting Vice President of Lawrence Rosielis Herrera Berroa.

Its other members include SGA President Samantha Cook and SGA Secretary (and record-keeper) Chloe Upham. Usually, students who want to run for student government positions must secure 50 student signatures on a registration form and then submit said form to the SGA’s staff-based advisor (who certifies SGA votes) for approval.

This time, both students running for reelection and prospective SGA members running this election cycle will have to submit a link to a Google form (signed by 50 students digitally) to Advisor Stephanie Haskell via email by the registration deadline of April 30 for bids to be approved.

Students can obtain their forms by contacting Haskell via email and providing her with a picture and short description or bio of themselves. Haskell creates a unique Google form for each candidate; each form is tailored to a candidate’s desired position and bio. Herrera Berroa says Haskell will also provide each candidate a detailed description of their desired position.

In order for a student’s candidacy to be approved by Haskell, they must have at least a  2.3 GPA and be registered for a minimum of 6 credits in the semester during which they are running, says Herrera Berroa. Herrera Berroa adds that 14 students, all new to the SGA, have so far filed to run.

Herrera Berroa says that deadline extensions could be effected through a SGA vote if at least one candidate presents evidence of circumstances which prevent them from registering on time. Such extensions would apply to all students running.

SGA positions consist of two main categories: Executive Board members, such as President, Vice Presidents of the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses and Secretary, and general members. While general members can join the SGA after securing 50 signatures, E-Board members must, in addition to obtaining signatures, be elected through an online poll which is planned to be put, per tradition, on the front page of the college’s Blackboard during election week. According to the SGA’s constitution, both those who run for reelection and those who have never held executive office must get 50 student signatures. Currently, five of the SGA’s nine E-board positions are unfilled.

During a Thursday April 9, public SGA Zoom meeting, Haskell said that the SGA’s use of NECC’s Blackboard front page is not set in stone. She clarified that if the college were to need to use the front page to address a hypothetical crisis, the SGA would acquiesce and conduct voting elsewhere.

But even though virtual voting is a long-standing SGA precedent, virtual campaigning is not. Candidates traditionally rely on on-campus interactions and college bulletin boards for self-promotion. The unrest this break from tradition has caused among some SGA members can be easily observed in remarks made by Haverhill Campus Vice President Courtney Morin during the April 9 meeting: “There are a lot of campuses that are postponing their elections to next semester; it’s just something to be aware of. I know my biggest concern is how students are going to get those 50 signatures. Because I, personally, would not know how to get them. I’m not friends with 50 people [from NECC]. And I’m pretty active in the Northern Essex community.”

In response to Morin’s concern, Cook offered an alternative signature collection strategy. She said, “I would assume the easiest way to do it is to ask your teacher to post something on Blackboard. You also have an option to email people through Blackboard or through using the Navigate app…So that might be another way for students to share it.”

In an interview with the Observer, Herrera Berroa recommended that students ask their professors to send out mass emails to students in order to secure signatures and campaign. She also encouraged those running for SGA positions to use social media to self-advertise and to ask acquaintances to use social media to help advertise. Two last pieces of advice she offered were that, “As soon as they get everything ready, [students] can start campaigning. Or they can collect signatures and campaign at the same time.”

Herrera Berroa said that a majority of E-board members are leaving NECC at the end of the spring 2020 semester, including herself; she says she is transferring to Bridgewater State University in the fall 2020 semester. Because of the anticipated loss of E-Board members, Herrera Berroa articulated that the SGA may hold special elections in the fall 2020 semester.

“If, for any reason, we don’t have the Executive Board positions filled, we will hold special elections…The new chair of the elections committee would have to organize it, according to our constitution and by law,” she said.

But Haskell stressed that while holding special elections in the fall is being modeled by various other Mass. state and community colleges, such a plan would be far from ideal: “My goal, as the advisor, is to have as full of a board as we can. It makes things go a lot more smoothly.”

According to Herrera Berroa, virtually no infighting is occurring within the Elections Committee. She attributes this placidity to her total following of the SGA’s constitution.

She concludes, “Don’t be afraid to be part of change. There’s so much we can do, and I know that students want to change a lot of things within NECC. And if you join SGA, you can be part of it. There is so much you learn.”

            Herrera Berroa is the primary contact for students who wish to express concerns or ask questions regarding the elections. She says that students who, for whatever reason, cannot reach her via email should contact Haskell via email.

Slider

Tips on coping with the anxiety and stress of these times

and  

With the coronavirus putting us into another month of quarantine It can be really hard on everyone mentally and physically. It’s really hard to be stuck inside all day, every day but the sooner everyone does their part and stays inside the faster life will be back to normal. 

Here are some tips to help you focus on all the good there is to come. First It’s okay to feel sad or angry about being under quarantine. It’s a hard time. A lot of people lost loved ones. Birthdays, Weddings, etc. couldn’t be celebrated. Start writing a journal about what’s happening in the world. It’ll be crazy to find it ten years later and remember all that went on. It’ll also remind you to stay grateful for all the little things you were able to do before this happened.  Create a routine for yourself,

this will help you after quarantine is over and help you get back to normal.

 If you’re having a hard time with depression, anxiety, etc. Try to mind your thoughts, reach out to someone you trust,  find something you love to do, start journaling your feelings, take notice of what or who hurts you, start meditating, find something you’re grateful for. Notice how you talk about yourself, start limiting your time on social media, check-in with yourself how do you feel about what’s going on?

Something that can also help is how much rest you get, go for a walk/run outside, create a new playlist, find a new hobby or activity, drink more water, admire yourself.

With all the negative that’s going on it’s so easy to get sucked in and dwell on that but hopefully it’s almost over. Use the rest of quarantine to discover who you are, find new talents, Heal.

Don’t let your mind and body take hits from a negative world, take a step back and try to remember all the fun and good that’s to come.

Opinion

Coping with a crisis

and  

In my seventeen years of living, I’ve never experienced such a crisis. People extremely sick, lives being taken away, students conditioning how to manage remote learning, and businesses closed. Many times I’ve seen movies where a pandemic takes over society. Their normal lives are not seen for a while and I never believed this would have occurred in real life

Kitten
Autumn the kitten Shauna Melgar

.

The city of Lawrence is now in quarantine due to a virus that is killing people globally. It was initiated in November 2019 in China and began to spread all over the world. Sadly, it ended up in Lawrence and many were infected which resulted in social distancing. In one way, this pandemic brought many families together. In our normal lives, there are various hardworking parents who work seven days a week to have their children feel like kings and queens.

Currently, many people are home jobless and worried about how they will pay their expenses. Mommy and daddy have high stress since they had just refinanced the house before this all occurred. Many families are facing difficulties, looking at how to cope with this pandemic.

My mixed emotions stress me out each day. I feel depressed because I’m in quarantine. I feel nervous because online learning isn’t my best way of learning. Lastly, I feel joy waking up every morning to a breakfast table with my family. We’ve never been able to spend this much time together since we all work and my sisters and I go to school. Not only do I feel satisfied because I am with my family but also I have more time with my kitten. 

February 28, 2020, my parents got me a kitten for my sadness and stress. They knew how much stress I had with school and how much I love kittens. My kitten’s name is Autumn. She’s an orange and white kitten and is the cutest thing ever. Autumn was bought from MSPCA and had a lower price because she is also different. She used to be abused by her previous owners and is an extremely sad distant kitten. When she was brought home to me, we connected and she came right to me. It was almost like we felt each other’s sadness. For this reason, I love my kitten since she is one and only.

 Each morning we sleep in until 10, eat breakfast together and by the afternoon, she’s lying on my bed while I do homework. To me, this kitten is like the chocolate cake a fat kid loves. I never knew a pet animal would bring such contentment. If it wasn’t for this kitten I don’t know what I would’ve done. Usually, in my normal life, I go for a drive to distract my mind. Without being in quarantine I sought ways to get rid of my sadness but now my kitten does it all.

The day we are released from quarantine I will finally be able to inhale a different air beside my kittens breathing since were always together. The first place I am going is to the park with my kitten, where we can both receive fresh air. This coronavirus needs to end soon so people could stop getting sick and dying. This is a tragedy that needs to end soon.

Many families are praying for this to end since everyone is tired of this pandemic. Together let’s pray so we can go on with our normal life. “Sometimes all it takes is one prayer to change everything.” Do you pray?

Editor’s Note: Shauna Melgar is a Lawrence High School Early College student at NECC. She wrote this for an English Composition 102 class and agreed to share her story with the NECC Observer.

Opinion

Relecting on quarantine

and  

As I write this a grand total 26 days have elapsed since the last time I set foot inside an educational facility. I used to dread hearing the ringing sound coming from the phone beside me every day at five o’clock, and the almost dozen repetitions of that sound coming from yet another alarm because my finger “accidentally” clicked the snooze button.

The way I trudged to the bathroom in a string light lit room and almost always collided with my dresser on my way out the door. The light buzz I received from squinting my eyes at the mirror trying to see a clearer image of the reflection staring back. The way I’d sing or play music in an attempt to energize myself that miserably failed by the time I got to my bedroom to fetch an outfit and “accidentally” stumbled into my sheets again to rest my eyes.

Eventually I’d roll out of my bed to the voice in my head screaming from the confines of my brain “get up unless you want to look like a hobo” and apparently that was all the incentive I needed to quickly get ready every morning for 180 days out of the year. If you could only imagine my shock at what happened next.

On the morning of March 13th (Friday the 13th, appropriate right?), I woke up with an eerie feeling of dread as I scrolled through the slew of text messages that appeared on my phone. A large sum of them were filled with emojis and exclamation points to represent the feelings of glee that protruded over the fear concerning a worldwide pandemic, while others were just glad to sleep for a couple of hours. I was impartial. I wanted to take a test. I had vigorously, and I mean vigorously, prepared for the night before but a couple of hours of sleep couldn’t have hurt right?

Later on in the day our fate as students was declared, as our school scheduling closure for another month, sending everyone’s plans into limbo.  The look of shock that invaded my expression was evident.  As  I quickly refreshed the page countless times with a probable gleam of panic flashing in my eyes. After a couple of minutes of refreshing only to get the same announcement, I slowly came to the realization that I was going to be trapped within the four corners and two stories of my house for the next month.

Although this pandemic allowed for a lot of students including myself to have a slight break from our daily rigors, it also provided a condemnation to remain in the place I so desperately try to avoid. Ever since my older siblings had moved on from our house and onto their own, I always called my house the place where boredom creeps into my mind.

My house can feel like a steel inescapable box that is shrouded in boredom and the only oxygen that helps everyday become just a little more bearable is the knowledge that I get to leave it every day for a change of environment. Albeit it’s school. As I reflect over the last 26 days of quarantine I find that although I have solitude in my room away from others, I can’t escape the feeling of envy for: the trees whistling due to the wind, the wild animals who get to bask in the sunlight, the leaves that are free to roam the streets, the birds that have the privilege to fly from one area to the next and feel of the brisk spring winds against their wings, as well as the clouds which pass over the area minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day seeing a view of the city.

Unlike the morning schedule I had before, most of my days consist of doing nothing or engaging in an activity I find uninteresting after a short time. My mornings start at a reasonable time but the time I leave my bed is usually hours after I first open my eyes. I talk to friends now and then but it isn’t the same as the everyday chats we had at school nor is it supposed to be. The hours and days pass too quickly but in the moment not fast enough, as my main location of operation remains my bed.

Having a sudden abundance of time gives an individual time to review their life and as I come to think of it, I’ve grown to be almost grateful for the morning schedule I loathed at the time but dearly miss now. I’ve come to the conclusion that a scheduled sequence of tasks to complete gave me a sense of purpose and now that it’s been stripped away, it’s plunged me into a hole of uncertainty and ultimately boredom.

Editor’s Note: Grace Tumushabe is a Haverhill High School Early College student at NECC. She wrote this for her English Composition 102 class and agreed to share her story with the NECC Observer. 

 

 

Campus Life

Minds with purpose: Student shares passion for helping others connect

and  
Jeruys Santiago
Jeurys Santiago Patty Gosselin, Campus Life Editor

In his first semester at NECC, business transfer major Jeurys Santiago attended a “Lunch and Learn” event, part of a series put on by the Center for Business and Accounting, and he became inspired by fellow student Daniel Keating’s presentation. Keating sparked a flame in Santiago when he presented the idea that two major companies: Uber and Airbnb, had become extremely successful without owning their own vehicles or properties. Santiago, who considers himself an entrepreneur, thought about how he could replicate that business model to suit him and his goals, and that’s where the idea for Minds With Purpose (MWP), Santiago’s self-made networking platform, came to be.

“What I like doing is helping people and connecting people with others who can help them achieve their goals,” said Santiago. He decided to create a networking platform where he could do that and also create a profitable business at the same time. The profits aren’t the bottom line for Santiago. In MWP’s first year, his plan is to focus on visibility and getting the word out there. “I don’t chase money, I chase genuine connections, money isn’t everything,” said Santiago.

MWP launched with an introduction video posted to Instagram on an account with less than 500 followers; the video was viewed over 2,000 times and shared 100 times in followers’ stories, said Santiago. “I live in Lawrence and that’s a city that has a lot of violence and drug use, so when we put that video out we made a powerful statement, ‘we’re going to be the change we want to see,’” said Santiago.

The first MWP event, which premiered in December 2019, was a “giveback challenge,” reminiscent of the viral “ice bucket challenge” which promoted awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. MWP’s “giveback challenge” encouraged followers to do a good deed and repost it, tagging others to encourage them to do another good deed, and so on. It’s an ongoing challenge so Santiago’s hope is that people continue to share the message of giving back.  MWP’s next event, “A Merry Christmas Giveaway,” held at the end of December 2019, supplied 60-70 people in need with all types of winter clothing.

“I started MWP to show people that the support you need is right in front of you, in your own community,” said Santiago. Santiago’s community is Lawrence and he noticed how many people around him were musicians, so he created “Music Mondays,” hosted by MWP, with the intent of giving local artists exposure in a sober setting to brighten up the first day of the week. The first event went very well, according to Santiago, and they were able to give the winner a substantial prize. Santiago’s goal is to have “Music Mondays” be a more regular event, and to expand it to other music scenes in nearby cities, they’re currently working on one for Haverhill.  Eventually they plan to incorporate fashion shows and work with local, upcoming brands, models and designers, according to Santiago.

“Being here at NECC helped me,” said Santiago. He said he’s always had a business/entrepreneur mindset but that NECC provided him with resources he couldn’t get elsewhere and helped him learn how to network and use LinkedIn properly. “Sheila Muller helped me with a lot of connections. When I needed a venue, she connected me with someone she knew who operated a loft space in Lawrence,” said Santiago.

Santiago isn’t a new entrepreneur, in his past he’s sold bracelets and hats out of his dad’s barber shop in New York City, and he sold Yu-Gi-Oh cards as a kid. Santiago runs MWP while also juggling five classes, but he attributes NECC with teaching him things like different marketing techniques. Economics class taught him about profits, and Intro to Business with Chuck Phair, explained entrepreneurship, solopreneurship, corporations, and nonprofits. Santiago says he’ll use the skills learned in Intro to Public Speaking in his business from now on.

Santiago’s ability to connect with people is what helps him be successful, he says. “There’s no losing in helping people in your community and I know that I can make a change in the cities around me.”

Eventually Santiago would like to create an app for MWP, and even further down the line, a paid membership model where one flat rate would be paid for all events attended.

MWP has been hit hard by the spread of Coronavirus and the ongoing closures of event spaces and social distancing since MWP is all about bringing people together said Santiago. Along with changing his business model, Santiago now has the added challenge of completing his degree online. Still, he’s keeping MWP alive with a new podcast called “Talks With Purpose” which will continue to give local artists and businesses exposure.

 

Sports

Student athletes hold onto optimism in a state of chaos

and  

Recently due to the ongoing COVID-19 virus pandemic, all activities, schools, and businesses not deemed essential have been cancelled and closed down till further notice.  These are all a part of our daily lives, and this is going to greatly affect the way we live until this situation starts to calm down. Most schools including NECC have now transitioned to online learning, but unfortunately sports were unable to do the same, and are now forced to be cancelled for the  rest of their season.  For student-athletes this is a dramatic change because they’re not only missing out on an on-campus education, but they’re also missing out on the opportunity to practice and compete for their school.

NECC student-athlete Tim Dodier gave an interview via cellphone and stated “We just have to stay optimistic right now, and hope for the best.  It’s tough with basketball because we don’t have access to the facilities or equipment that the school usually provides.  Which makes training at home a lot harder and it requires way more discipline. Unfortunately it’s the only thing we can all do right now to train and stay in shape.” Says Dodier.

Alex Montanez is the Over watch team captain for the NECC Esports team, and he had some positive things to say via cellphone regarding the cancellation of their season. “It’s unfortunate, we’ve all been working really hard and we were ready to compete in the playoffs.  But at the end of the day I’m just thankful for the friends I made, and the opportunity to play together as a team.”

The NECC Esports team had a very successful season and were about to enter the playoffs, but unfortunately they will have to wait until next season to compete again. Esports, Rocket League team captain, Christian Bova stated via Cellphone  “The outcome of this season was unfortunate, but at the end of the day we know we’re one of the best teams.  So now we have to let this motivate us to stay positive, work hard, and come back even better next year.”  Says Bova.

Many of the NECC student-athletes are staying dedicated, and resilient in the face of these challenging times.  Their hard work and commitment not only show their true character, but will also be rewarded with success once they begin competing again.

 

News

SGA discusses possibilities for 2020 graduates

and  

The Northern Essex Community College Commencement and Executive Committees conferred with the school’s Student Government Association recently to address how NECC’s 2020 graduation proceedings and teaching rules will be affected by coronavirus-caused social distancing guidelines recently mandated by Mass. Governor Charlie Baker (R).

 Via the first-ever SGA public Zoom meeting, a communication format which will replace the student government’s usual in-person, weekly public meetings for an indefinite period of time. SGA members spoke with Commencement Committee chairs Ernie Greenslade, Susan Shain and Janice Rogers as well as with Executive Committee chair Sheila Muller, whose body oversees and facilitates processes related to NECC’s finances, academics and many other committees. The Commencement Committee chairs discussed with SGA members how to best execute what will almost certainly be a virtual 2020 graduation ceremony, and Muller detailed the college’s plans to avoid implementing an accommodating pass/fail grading system (in lieu of its usual letter grade methodology) despite NECC classes’ recent conversion to a new, totally online learning format.

She was, however, receptive to SGA President Samantha Cook’s suggestion to encourage professors to grade leniently and accommodatingly during a pandemic which has caused many students, especially parents who attend NECC, extra work (and consequent stress) like homeschooling children who usually go to school outside of the house. Overall, the cooperation between the SGA and college committee members seemed to confirm the SGA’s long-standing claim that it is the liaison between the student body and NECC higher-ups. With Greenslade even saying, “We’re working with the SGA and other students to finalize the details [of our plans].”

Greenslade said that the college’s scheduled May 16 graduation ceremony will almost definitely be cancelled and added that she and other commencement committee members feel skeptical about postponing the ceremony until later this year. She justified this skepticism by reasoning that when social distancing guidelines will be lifted remains unclear. So, instead of planning to hold a conventional ceremony this year, a gathering which Greenslade said usually attracts about 3,000 people, the college reported that Greenslade is entertaining the idea of a virtual commencement. She explained to student government members, “We were thinking of having a virtual, asynchronous celebration in August, and there would be different aspects to it. One would be a site. I don’t know if that would be a website or what it would be.” Editor’s Note: The college has since announced that it would hold a virtual graduation in August. 

Greenslade further detailed the possible attributes of the hypothetical webpage by saying, “[On it] we would have commencement highlights. We’d have remarks from [NECC President] Lane [Glenn]; we’d have remarks from our [student] speaker…And we’d have recognition of all the grads, you know, maybe a listing of the names, maybe a reading of all the names.”

In addition to the use of a website to deliver speaker remarks and important information to 2020 graduates, a virtual commencement would, according to Greenslade, also involve sending hard materials out to students: “The other big part would be that each graduate receives a celebration package that would have maybe their cap, hopefully their diploma, a gift from the alumni office…It would be a celebration in a box, kind of.”

This physical component and the website, said Greenslade, could together be used to replicate an in-person graduation ceremony, as students could take and send to the college via the commencement webpage some photos and videos of themselves holding their graduation gifts. These photos and videos would then be used by the Commencement Committee, claimed Greenslade: “We’ll share that on the site. And, at the end, we’d like to do a video that includes snippets from the speeches, includes all the content that we get submitted from students [with their package gifts]. It’s a celebration video.”

Commencement Committee chairs also reported that NECC President Lane Glenn is pushing to give 2020 graduates the option to walk in the 2021 graduation line, a move which would likely mean the appropriation of funds (to the 2021 commencement) larger than the usual amount of money dedicated to graduation ceremonies says  Greenslade.

However, SGA members and Muller pointed out that students need to provide outfit measurements in order to receive garments that fit them (students usually order and pay for their own gowns). Therefore, according to members and Muller, caps and gowns would be incompatible with a non-personalized, surprise-oriented graduation package. However, this observation was made after Greendale, Shain and Rogers had left the meeting. It is possible that Muller will, per the description of her occupation, reach out to the chairs to notify them of the conclusion reached by the student government. Whether or not students would be paying for caps and gowns they receive in the package (if they receive any garments at all) is also unknown at this time.

Greenslade repeatedly emphasized that the 2020 virtual commencement ceremony concept is still in its early planning stages and that no real finalizations to the plan have been made.

Muller stressed that even though some community and four-year colleges in Mass. have committed to using a lenient pass/fail grading system for the rest of the spring 2020 semester, NECC’s administration, namely Academic and Student Affairs Vice President Bill Heinemen, currently favors retention of a letter grade system. She explained this inclination by saying, “They are steering away from pass/fail only because it could affect financial aid and GPAs and how transfers work.”

Essentially, this means that NECC does not want to risk losing federal and state grants whose delivery to the college is contingent upon student recipients’ trying to maintain GPAs above a certain threshold. After all, the US and Mass. governments routinely, through methods such as reviewing professors’ roster reports and recipients’ grades, check on grant recipients’ academic statuses and progress. And it is unclear how pass/fail grades would be factored into a semester or cumulative GPA assessment paramount in determining whether or not aid should be delivered to a student. Furthermore, four-year institutions that 2020 graduations plan to transfer to in the fall of 2020 may not use or accept pass/fail grades So  the transfer of NECC credits from a pass/fail spring 2020 semester to a four year degree at a university which does not use pass/fail could be impossible.

But Muller, who is also a business professor at NECC, did express that leniency, just not in the form of pass/fail, should be adopted by the college. She added after Cook brought up how the pandemic has brought unforeseen stress into the lives of students, especially students whose children or siblings usually attend school away from home but must now be homeschooled by (or at least with the help of) their parents or siblings. Muller responded to Cook’s point by articulating, “Bill Heinemen has made it very, very clear to all faculty to think about the difficulties of what students are experiencing, lack of technology, lack of internet, loss of jobs and work. So all of that taken into consideration, to be lenient on deadlines, to really try to reach out to students and to try to engage them in different ways, find substitutions, or whatever it might be…I can’t promise that every faculty member is going to be doing that, but that’s something that Bill is very strongly encouraging.”

Muller recommended that students having trouble with a specific professor’s course requirements during the pandemic should contact other faculty, herself or other committee chairs and/or the dean of the department the professor teaches for. She said that these contacts could effectively communicate with a professor and inform them of a student’s concerns, while allowing any student who comes forward with complaints to remain anonymous.

Slider

Corona-cation: A high school student reflects on quarantine

and  

A day in the life of a 16-year-old in Quarantine. Each day starts off with the grating voice of my mother asking me if I am going to sleep the day away. I peel open my tired eyes to see the room fully lit with the rays of the radiant sun. Peering at the clock in the corner of the room that reads 10:30. A few weeks ago sleeping in until 10:30 Am on a weekday would be the best thing on the planet! Sadly it is not just an ordinary day it is another day in Quarantine.

I roll out of bed and change my pajamas into a fresh pair of other pajamas and slump my way downstairs. I serve my self breakfast and open my laptop to a screen filled to the brim with emails from my teachers assigning me classwork at all hours of the day. I am hushed by my sister who is on a zoom call with one of her classes. I have to tiptoe around my house so I don’t interrupt her call. Almost every day I am also forced to go on one of these awkward online lectures where all the students put the camera to the ceiling to hide their bed.

After many hours of staring at a dimly lit computer screen and many unprecedented social media breaks my school work finally is finished. I spend the rest of the day finding things to keep myself busy. I try to do something productive like clean my room or organize. I try to dedicate some of my day to art whether it is drawing, painting, or taking pictures. The days seem to drag on and continue to have the same ongoing events.

My mom makes us go on walks with the dog every day to get us all out of the house. I go for long drives with no destination. Just to get out of the house. When the sun goes down the TV comes on and the cycle continues. With no school, it’s crazy how many hours there really is in a day. 

COVID-19 has flipped my schedule upside down. Everything from school life to home life is being thrown off.

School life has changed drastically, it changed from waking up at 5:30 Am, to attending classes for six-plus hours and being around a thousand plus kids all day. As well as attending practice for hours after school. Now school is on the computer. I wake up at any time and begin whenever I please. I communicate with my teachers on Zoom, an  online website where  the audio cuts in and out and poor video quality. My teachers request you to show your face to make sure you are paying attention which is embarrassing because the entire class sees that you haven’t showered yet. Due to online school, I no longer see people in the hallway or my friends in class. I miss the social interaction. Being stuck at home all-day has me feeling like a modern-day Rapunzel locked in a tower. 

Being stuck in the house for weeks and weeks has really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Such as how much social interaction you really get from being in school. I miss my friends and the people I see daily. It really feels like something is missing out of my day with no social interaction. Also being in quarantine has shown me how much I really leave the house every day. I used to be home to just eat sleep, wake up and then leave. I’ve come to realize how much I love my house. During this quarantine, I’ve completely redone my room and now it’s where  I spend all my time. Being home has also made me so grateful for the things I have. I have gotten so used to leaving the house for whatever I needed, such as the store, restaurants or even going over a friend’s house. Having all these things that you are used to doing daily taken away from you makes you really grateful for having it in the first place. 

Quarantine and COVID-19 are the thieves of my junior year. They have taken many things away from me. I have to miss out on my junior prom because of quarantine. I had spent months finding the perfect dress and spent a lot of time waiting for it. I am also missing out on my two best friends Birthdays. Due to Quarantine, I couldn’t celebrate either of their birthdays with them. COVID-19 has also stolen my spring sport away from me. I can’t go to fun practices or participate in races with my team. 

 Medical mask and blue latex gloves are the newest fashion trend. Going to the supermarket is something straight out of a horror film. There’s nothing on the shelves and people just look s though they are on edge. There is a weird feeling I get when I leave my house. The streets are empty and the only lights on are inside the houses. The death rates of people rise by over 100 daily. Someone please wake me up from this nightmare. I don’t want to listen to the news anymore. I would like for things to go back to normal. Yet I don’t think they will any time soon. At first, I wasn’t worried about the virus at all but then when the school got closed everything became a little too real. I worry about my health as well as the health of my family and others around the world.

Editor’s Note: Emily Gosselin is a Haverhill High School Early College student at NECC. She wrote this essay for an English Composition 102 class and agreed to share her story with the Observer. 

Features

An essential worker shares her story

and  

As a journalism student it is difficult to write about oneself, it’s discouraged really. However, as a student, single parent, essential healthcare worker, potentially high-risk individual in the middle of a pandemic, I am compelled to share my story.  

My name is Isae Grullon. I am 33 years old. I am the mother of a 14-year-old high school freshman who is currently taking classes online. Her voice lessons are now virtual via Skype. Since October we have been going to dance practices twice weekly for her cousin’s quinceañera. It was supposed to be in May but has been postponed for now.

I am a journalism student at NECC, expected to graduate in the spring of 2021.The pandemic hit the US just a few weeks before spring break. Spring break came and went, and we never resumed our normal schedules. It’s taken some time and some discipline but online is how we will see this semester through.  

“Unit Coordinator” is my title at Massachusetts General Hospital. My role is considered essential and unable to be done remotely. At work, policies and protocols seem to change nearly every day. Each shift brings something new to process. Initially it was just hand hygiene and social distancing or “physical distancing” as the president of MGH prefers to call it. On March 19th visitors went from being limited to restricted and only allowed into the hospital under very special circumstances. By the end of March, we all had to wear masks and sanitize our hands before getting past one of the four entrances that were open to only employees.

On April 1st, the COVID Pass app was implemented. We must log in every day before our shifts to confirm that we remain symptom free. When we walk in to the building we must be prepared to show security our ID badge and our COVID Pass. Then and only then are we allowed to move on to the hand sanitizing and mask stations. April 1st was also the day my unit started taking on patients who are waiting on their results but aren’t well enough to be sent home from the emergency room. Those that test positive are moved to other floors designated for positive patients. Patients with negative results are discharged if safe to do so or sent to floors where only confirmed negative patients are being cared for other issues. April 1st…. what an ironically cruel joke.  

I am told MGH is all over the news. Friends text me with their concerns. I remain willfully unaware. It’s hard to watch the news when you are actively living the biggest news story every day. Although I am a unit coordinator and do not have direct contact with patients, I feel like I carry the weight of the floor in my bones. By the end of each shift my ribs hurt, my back aches and the toll of deep breathing through my mask in an effort to control my anxiety is evident. I leave the building and can’t remove my mask fast enough. It’s relief and dread all in one because now I’ll go home and remove my clothes and shoes in the hall, get in the shower, wipe down my purse and hope I’ve gotten rid of any trace of disease that could have potentially entered my home. After, and only after this process can I hug my daughter who eagerly awaits her mother’s embrace. She’s 14 and theoretically old enough to understand but she is a sensitive child who likes to hug everyone she is fond of. In the beginning it was difficult, but she is getting used to our new routine.  

Some days, while I try to escape in my own mind, I go back to December 31st. While everyone was celebrating the new year, “2020 is going to be amazing!”, I was alone in a hospital room contemplating my new diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; a new autoimmune issue to add to the ones I already had. 2020 was so full of hope. It was the year of “perfect vision”. This was going to be the year everyone got their life together.  It was actually quite a rough start to the year: so many deaths, narrowly missing the start of WWIII. I’m sure many folks out there regret uttering, “this can’t get any worse”. It’s mid-April…just look at us now. Hope is but a distant memory of tomorrow.